


Fifty

by bittersweetsymphonia



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2018-03-23 14:27:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3771682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bittersweetsymphonia/pseuds/bittersweetsymphonia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aphrodite's a big shipper of Dantana and when Brittany kissed Santana, she was none too happy about it. Now, Santana has to live through different situations, and has to make Dani fall in love with her in each one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously, I love writing about Aphrodite messing with Santana's love life.

**Prologue:** Intervention

**xxx**

“Aphrodite?” Santana scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Aphrodite, dressed in casual mortal attire, simply sipped her coffee daintily. She crossed her legs underneath one of the rounded booth tables of the Spotlight diner before she raised her head to acknowledge her not-too-amused waitress. “My, my,” she said. “Why in the world would I do that?”

Santana rolled her eyes. She wasn't getting paid enough for this job. This was the third nutjob she'd had to deal with this week. “Whatever. If you aren't going to order something, you better take your Starbucks and go.” She pointed with her notepad and pen towards the door for emphasis.

The blonde woman before her wasn’t fazed at all, and instead broke out into a sly grin. “What poor customer service this establishment has. I doubt your boss would be happy were I to file a complaint.” Her smile grew when she noticed how Santana visibly stiffened at her words. “That would be unfortunate since you need the money to fund your impromptu travels to that small town Lima, Ohio,” Aphrodite's voice dipped lower as her eyes narrowed into almost slits and her lips curled down into a frown. “Where you continue to cheat on you loving girlfriend with your ex-girlfriend.”

That had Santana's eyes bulging out of their sockets. She gaped at the grey-eyed customer, mouth flapping open and close like a fish. “You– What– How– I didn't–” She couldn't form a coherent sentence and it only served to irk the goddess.

“Enough of your excuses, Miss Lopez. I know what I saw,” Aphrodite harshly whispered. “Sit down.”

Santana sat down immediately at the barked out order, only momentarily remembering to call out that she was going on an intermission. “I didn't cheat on Dani,” Santana finally managed.

Aphrodite hummed, taking another sip of her steadily growing cold beverage. She sighed and pushed it to the side as she caught dark eyes on her own. “I am Aphrodite.” When Santana opened her mouth, the goddess raised her hand. “You will listen, if you know what's good for you, mortal.” Santana didn't say anything more, hoping to just get the crazy out and the kiss a secret.

“I am Aphrodite,” the goddess repeated. “I have watched over you for a long time now, Santana Gabrielle Lopez. I've watched you since Brittany came into your life. While I loved the pureness of what you shared with the innocent young blonde, I saw that it was ruining you. That relationship was not healthy, and my son agreed to my sentiments.”

Santana's eyes narrowed. She didn't know how this strange – albeit undeniably gorgeous – woman knew of Brittany, but she decided to go against her better judgement and kept quiet.

“Thankfully, you got out of it and came all the way to New York,” Aphrodite continued. “Things went a little better. Danielle Raine Harper came into your life and I saw the change she brought. Good change, might I say.” She brought the coffee back to her lips, grinning in mild victory when she realized it was reheated. She made a mental note to thank _someone_ later, preferably after she's made Athena scream out her name for all of Olympus to hear. For now, she had to deal with the still unbelieving mortal in front of her.

“I saw Brittany kiss you,” she continued. “You took the noble course of action and stopped it from escalating, but you reciprocated.”

“I did not,” Santana defended, her anger flaring up. That moment wasn't one of her best, and she wasn't proud of it.

“Yes, you did,” Aphrodite stressed. “It may not have been physical, but I felt your heart waver. You wanted her again and for a moment, you forgot about your girlfriend.”

Santana said nothing as her jaw tensed. This woman was right. It pained her to admit but there had been a moment when she wanted to kiss Brittany back – to have Brittany back. But she didn't act on her impulse. That had to count for something, right?

“You had no idea how heartbreaking it was to witness that moment. I couldn't for the life of me believe that my OTP was betraying me,” Aphrodite whispered out, replaying the moment in her mind. Athena had comforted her relentlessly that day, but it still did not wipe away the hurt of seeing Dani be betrayed like that.

“OT-what?” Santana shook her hands wildly around her. “Never mind. Why are you even telling me this? For argument's sake, let's say you really are Aphrodite. Why are you invested in my love life?”

“It's very interesting, dear. For a while it had been fun to watch Rachel and Quinn pine over each other, but even that gets tired.” At Santana's raised brow, Aphrodite grinned. “You have to admit, they have this sexual tension that seems to always hang like a cloud around them. I ship them, though I have to admit that when you slept with Quinn, my allegiance waned a bit.”

“You– You,” Santana floundered. No one was supposed to know about that bit with Quinn. And with all this woman knew of her and her friends, Santana was beginning to believe that she was who she says she was. Or a really, really devoted stalker.

“Yes, it was a moment of weakness. Your relationship with Quinn had always been a bit charged.” Aphrodite waved her hand. “But that isn't the matter at hand. You cheated on Dani.”

“I didn't.”

“You did, and I'm not going to stand watch while you ruin something amazing.” The blonde pointed a perfectly manicured finger towards the stock still Latina. “You don't appreciate her enough. You still won't admit that you're in love with her.” She cut off Santana before the girl even had a chance to speak. “No. Don't even try and deny it. Goddess of love, remember? You're in love with her, but you're going to cause her pain because you're too much of a coward to admit it.”

Santana shook her head. “I'm done here.” She moved to stand but found that she couldn't. It was like magic bound her to her position. She glared at the blonde who watched her with a steady gaze.

“I'm going to teach you to stop being a coward,” Aphrodite stated as she waved a hand toward Santana. It was at that moment that Santana felt something shift inside her. Just what, she didn't know.

“What did you do?” she asked, her voice waning a bit in panic.

“I've simply bound you to a curse,” the goddess answered.

“You don't do cursed. You're a goddess,” Santana mocked.

Aphrodite gasped. “Now you believe.” She let out a dry chuckle. “That curse is going to teach you the consequences, all that you would lose, if you remain to be the coward that you are. Dani will slip away from your fingers. I am going to free her of you. She won't remember you at all. She may not have her soul mate, but she won't suffer the pain either.” She shot Santana a sharp look. “You, on the other hand, will constantly be haunted by her, by the images of your future had you been brave enough.”

“Wha–”

“There is a way to dispel this curse. You must simply pass my test.”

Santana gulped, an ominous feeling in her gut. “Test?”

“Yes. A number of situations.” Aphrodite tapped her finger to her shin. “Fifty. Let's say fifty situations. These situations will all be a product of my imagination. Although for disclaimer's sake, they might include the works of mortal authors,” she added as an afterthought. “Now, fifty situations. In each one, you must find a way to make Dani fall in love with you, no matter the odds. Even if she's the bad guy and you're the good guy, you must make her fall in love with you. Each situation, let's call them an act. Each Act will run a course of a week. Failure to finish your quest, that is to make Dani fall truly in love with you, by the end of the week will have dire consequences.”

“Dire consequences?”

“The curse being enacted, my dear,” Aphrodite clarified. “You will not have only lost Dani in the Act, but you would also lose her in real life. Now, an Act may have you fighting for life and death. Understand that your death or Dani's would mean a loss. Meaning curse enacted.”

“That's just cruel.”

“That just means you have to be careful, Miss Lopez. Oh, and any form of cheating will have the curse enacted. Do you understand?”

Santana shook her head before she glared at the blonde. “No! I don't understand why I have to go through this.”

“You'll understand soon enough.” Aphrodite stood. “If you excuse me, I have other matters to attend to. Worry not, dear, we will be speaking at the end of each Act. Do make each one memorable.” And just like that, she vanished, leaving Santana to gawk in her wake.

It's after a few minutes that Kurt approached Santana. “Hey, you wanna get your lazy ass back to work? You're not getting paid to sit around.”

“You didn't see her disappear?” Santana gestured to the empty space in front of her.

Kurt, for his part, stared at his friend as if she's lost her mind. “Okay? You weren't serving anyone. No one's sat here yet before you decided to be lazy. So get up. We need you at table twelve.”

Santana gaped, her eyes flickering from the retreating form of the outlandish boy to the empty space opposite her. Could it all have been a hallucination? A fucked up daydream? She decided to shake it out of her system. She had work to do.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. This is an idea that I've had for a while. I came upon my draft of this and decided that it could be a good help to get me back to writing fanfiction.
> 
> 2\. I will do my best to post at least once a week. I really need a schedule for my writing.
> 
> 3\. I have not watched anything about Glee after the 100th episode. I do know about the Brittana wedding, but other than that… Nothing.
> 
> 4\. Fifty is a pretty big number. I don't know if we're all going to have to suffer through fifty Acts and we'll just have to see where this goes. I will try to do some AUs I have saved on my laptop, but suggestions are still much appreciated.
> 
> 5\. I will ship Aphrodite and Athena to the ends of the Earth. That ship will often pop out throughout this journey.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus, the challenge begins.
> 
> This will be posted on Tumblr and FF.net too because I like to keep my internet things updated.

**Act One**

**xxx**

Santana Lopez blinked to a slow and calm awakening. Her arms immediately splayed out around her bed, feeling for the usual warm body that fell asleep beside her. When she found none, she chalked it up to her girlfriend preparing breakfast like she tended to do some mornings. She groaned and sat up lazily, eyes still blinking the sleep from them. It's then that she noticed her surroundings.

She wasn't in her shared apartment in New York. No. She was in a small bedroom with light purple wallpaper and shelf after shelf of books, toys, and the like. Her hands fell back down on the sheets, a simple black, of what she recognized as her childhood bed. She saw it then, how her arms and legs were shorter than normal, and how she didn't have that pounding headache from a graveyard shift at Spotlight. No, she actually felt as though she slept soundly.

“What the hell?” she croaked out, noticing how small her voice seemed. She scrambled out of the tangle of sheets she found herself in and walked to the mirror near her closet. She gaped at what she saw.

It was her, only she was a little kid. If she guessed accurately, she was ten years old. Her hair was still in that short tomboy cut her mother allowed her to get for the summer. It still hadn't grown out much, so she guessed the end of summer hadn't been that far away.

“No way,” she breathed out as her fingers danced on her face.

“Yes way.”

Santana started and fell on the rug with a dull thump. She clutched her frantically beating heart as she glared at the owner of the voice, a familiar blonde. “Aphrodite,” she growled out. Even as a young kid, she had always been intimidating. “What's happening? Am I dreaming?”

Aphrodite, who had taken a chair as her throne, smirked. “In a way.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Santana crossed her arms over her chest and threw her best knee-shaking, run-for-the-hills glare. Aphrodite chuckled, albeit feeling a small chill run up her spine at the look. She quickly shook it away, thinking it foolish to be scared of a mere human girl.

“What I mean is,” she gestured around the childhood bedroom. “All this is real to you, but once the ordeal is finished, you'll find that none of it has affected the real world.”

“So none of it ma–”

“It all matters,” Aphrodite stressed. “Not only will you be stopping my curse, you'd also be learning a valuable lesson.”

“Fuck that val–”

“That language is unbefitting of a ten year old, Santana,” Aphrodite chided. “Fifty Acts. You have Fifty Acts to learn this lesson. This encounter will change you, and I will be the sole witness to the process. But after you've come out of the fire and proved your worth, I'll give you the happy ending that you so wish.”

Santana scoffed, feeling her head reeling all over again. She had thought that when she slept, shrugged the conversation in the diner to her messed up imagination, that nothing would happen. But of course, she was wrong. “So what? Now I'm a ten year old?”

“Yes, for a week. Or until you make Dani fall in love with you,” Aphrodite answered as she checked her nails. They were getting longer again, and as much as she loved pretty nails, she didn't want to hurt her lover. “Oh, and then it's time for the next Act.”

“What? I don't even get a break?” Santana demanded, temper already growing thin.

At that, Aphrodite turned to shoot her a pointed stare. “You want a break from loving someone?” When Santana looked affronted, Aphrodite hummed in satisfaction. “See? Now, I'm not going to be here every morning of an Act. You need to figure out the others on your own. I'm not here to spoonfeed anything to you.”

Santana groaned. “Fine, whatever. I'll play along.”

“Splendid. Now, I must go, Miss Lopez. Make this entertaining, okay?” And then she was gone, leaving the still fuming ten year old. Santana sighed before she walked over to her closet and began to get ready for the day.

**xxx**

In truth, Santana was having fun. She had missed her parents terribly, and that morning had been like a dream. Her mother had fixed her up a tower of pancakes that she coated with tons of syrup, thanking God that she still wasn't on one of those Cheerio diets. She also had the excuse to wear more comfortable clothes and basically have all the swagger of her younger self. To top it all off, she rocked her classes, having already studied them all before. So, yes, by the time she found herself in the playground in recess, she was enjoying this little situation.

That was when she saw them.

She was chilling up the slides, loving the vantage view it offered, when she noticed a small group of children huddled together in a loose circle. Something pulled her towards the sight, and it only grew when she noticed a small brunette girl sitting smack dab in the middle of the attack circle. She pushed herself down the slide and called out when she saw one of the taller boys pull back his leg to land a kick at the girl.

“Hey, numbnut. Why don't you pick on someone your own size?”

The boy turned, young mind angered already, and glared at Santana. It as a pathetic attempt and Santana countered with her own cold and deadly glare. The boy visibly faltered. “Leave us alone, girlie.”

Santana rolled her eyes. “As if,” she spat out. She marched to the group of kids, her hands curled into fists, and glared at each and every one of them. As expected, they cowered at the sight, even the taller kids. _Oh_ , Santana was having fun.

“C-Come on, guys. She's not worth it.” With the apparent leader's words, the other kids also fled the scene, leaving only Santana and the brunette kid who was still sat on the dirt.

Santana turned, her expression already softening, and caught the eyes of the quivering girl. “Dani,” she breathed out, feeling the entirety of what she felt for the girl rise up inside her.

This caught the girl's attention as she hesitantly asked, “How do you know my name?”

“I–” _saw your childhood photos from the albums you showed me_ “–heard someone calling you that,” Santana lied. Thankfully, Dani bought it. She reached her hand out and her lips curled into a smile, that smile that had always been only for Dani. It merely grew when the brunette took her hand and allowed herself to be helped up.

“Thank you,” Dani said, flushing slightly. “They were mean.”

“Yeah, a couple of fucktards,” Santana muttered, grinning only at the wide eyes Dani offered her. “Sorry. That was bad.”

Dani laughed lightly then, only a timbre higher than how Santana remembered Dani's laugh to be. She felt it then, the pang of loneliness at not having woken up next to the girl that morning. She couldn't help herself then as she pulled the shorter girl for a hug. Dani froze up, not expecting the action, but found herself melting to the touch.

“Thank you,” Dani whispered, before placing a soft kiss to the Latina's burning cheeks. Santana hid her blush behind a chuckle, as her eyes slipped shut at the comfort of the moment.

**xxx**

Santana blinked to an empty white room. Dani was nowhere in sight and her stomach dropped.

“Nice performance, Lopez,” Aphrodite said, appearing behind the once again startled woman.

“What is this?” Santana demanded, gesturing to the space they're in.

Aphrodite shrugged. “You said you wanted a break between Acts. This is Intermission.” She found herself grinning at the unamused expression on the Latina's face. “Chin up, Lopez. You made Dani fall for you mere moments after you've met. Well, given that it was young love…”

“You mean, she fell in love with me?” Santana said, finding herself grinning at the giddy thought.

Aphrodite rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “This Act was exceptionally easy. Don't think the next ones will be like it.”

“And don't think I'm going to keep letting you use me and Dani for whatever game you're pulling.”

“Oh, but this is not a game.”

“No,” Santana agreed. “This is a quest for the person I love.”

Aphrodite guffawed. “Very nice.” She patted the irritated girl on the head. “We'll see each other soon.” With that, she disappeared, leaving Santana glaring at nothing.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot that I didn't put this here.

**Act Two**

**xxx**

When Santana opened her eyes, she found herself waking up to a familiar setting. Green and white curtains along with several other beds similar to hers littered the room. Knick-knacks of wonder filling empty spaces, while a few other girls milled about. Some wore casual clothing, while others were in a familiar uniform.

_Slytherin._

"Holy shit, I'm in Hogwarts," she muttered under her breath. She looked over at her chest and quickly found her uniform. She couldn't help but grin in absolute glee; she had always known she was a Slytherin. She was badass like that.

Just as she was taming her wild bed hair, she saw someone approach her.

The brown haired girl looked oddly familiar and her vibe sent chills down Santana's spine. She eyed the girl warily, before barking out a "What?"

"Bringing the bitch out early, Lopez?" The girl grinned. "I like it."

Santana's lips curled down as she quickly made space between her and the girl. "If you're just going to be wasting my time with more of your nonsense, you better get out of my way."

At that, the brunette looked shocked. "Wow, Santana. What crawled up your ass and died?"

That was when Santana recognized a girl. She knew she'd looked far too much like Berry, but had a meaner and crueller air about her. "Talent, Harmony. Something you are seriously lacking in."

She heard the angry shouts, but she flipped her hair over her shoulder and left with a triumphant smirk. She made her way down to the Slytherin common room, high-fiving Puck when she found him. Another person whose house she got right.

"Hey, S," Puck greeted, his lecherous grin still in place. "Q wanted to talk to you."

Santana's eyes began to wander around in instinct. She hadn't noticed the blonde in the dorms. "Where is she?"

Puck shrugged. "Last I saw, she was wandering around the library."

"Why in the world would Q be hanging around the library?" Santana was utterly perplexed, and it only grew when Puck shot her a disbelieving look. "What?"

"You do know that the library is the typical Ravenclaw hangout," Puck stated the obvious fact, and Santana almost face-palmed. Of course that little closet nerd would be a Ravenclaw. That did leave the question of where Dani might be. Santana mentally shrugged as she took her leave. She would just have to ask Quinn. Even if she was sorted into Ravenclaw, Santana knew that the inner bitch and control freak was still in there. She had to have a list of everyone important.

Once Santana was out of the common room and into the ever-changing flight of stairs did she feel fear creep up on her. Sure she was a Potter fan, but she didn't really have a map of the magical school tattooed in her brain. And she knew getting lost in Hogwarts never led to nice things. She ran a hand down the wood of her wand, wondering if there was a spell to lead her to the library.

Thankfully, she didn't have to think for long. She heard her name get called and she whipped her head to the direction, releasing a small breath of relief when she saw the familiar blonde clad in Ravenclaw robes. "Quinn," she called out, taking the few steps down to meet her friend.

"Santana," Quinn greeted back. With a curious tilt of her head, Santana noticed the mischievous glint in her old friend's eyes. When she arched a questioning brow, Quinn pulled out a vial from her robe and held it out for Santana to see. The pale purple fluid sloshed inside the bottle along with the soft swaying motion of Quinn's hand. "You up for a little fun?"

"Is that going to get me high?" Santana teased, half-wishing that Quinn would say no. She didn't really want to be high while in a magical realm. The consequences would be too dire. She wasn't really in the mood to magically transform herself into a toad.

Hazel eyes rolled at her comment. "No. Tina gave me this potion. She said to try it out on a test subject."

Santana's eyebrows flew up to her hairline as she involuntarily took a step back. "Hell no. I'm not going to be your guinea pig."

Again, Quinn rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I was thinking daring a Gryffindor to take it. Prove they're truly brave and all that." By the look in Quinn's eyes, she already had a person in mind. "Come on. It'll be fun."

Santana could feel the grin forming already. "Do you have an idea on what it does?"

"An idea, yes," Quinn teased, the corners of her lips tugging up into one of her infamous smirks. Santana knew that look on her captain. She knew this would be fun. She nodded and took the vial from her friend's hand, letting her lead the way to their victim.

**xxx**

The English air was crisp as they stepped out into the courtyard. A handful of students were milling about, including a small flock of Gryffindors. The Slytherin and Ravenclaw girls, both with their infamours smirks in place, approached the group. When Santana spotted the familiar faces of Rachel Berry and Sam Evans, she knew this would be  _good_.

"Oh, good morning, Quinn," Rachel greeted with a chirpy smile. It reminded Santana all too well of their fight. "Good mo–" So she raised a hand to stop any more yapping to come out of the girl's mouth. Along with her famous glare, Santana managed to scare the girl enough to keep her quiet for a couple of seconds. Even in fantasy, no one jumped at the opportunity to defend the girl.

"So, hobbit, are you sure the Sorting Hat really took you to Gryffindor?" Santana asked, plastering on one of her indifferent masks. When Rachel opened her mouth to begin one of her long winded rants, Santana lifted her hand again. "Cause we aren't. You're not exactly what one might call brave."

"Please. She'll be running to the hills at the mention of ogres," Quinn piped in.

Santana scrunched her nose, ignoring the already fuming girl in front of them… Or the growing crowd. "Oh? You mean her family? I'd be running too."

At the sound of laughter erupting from not only the two girls but also from a few spectators, Rachel snapped. "I am brave and I will prove it to you! And when I do, you must cease to spit out such petty insults about my family."

Santana and Quinn's identical smirks grew.  _Perfect_. "So you wouldn't mind drinking a potion that we don't know about?" Quinn taunted as she held out a hand for Santana to place the vial on. When she did, she held it up for Rachel and the rest of the spectators to see. "Will you drink it?"

Rachel looked wary as she inspected the vial held out in front of her. She knew it was dangerous to drink a potion you don't know, and looking at the smirks on Santana and Quinn's faces, she knew something bad was going to happen because of this. But her sensitive ears picked up on the murmuring and taunting of the crowd. She was already getting red-faced because of their doubts, so she pushed all rational thoughts away and ripped the vial from the momentarily shocked blonde's hand. She popped the cork open, sent a silent prayer, and drank it all in one shot.

Santana had to admit that she was impressed. She turned to Quinn, only to find that the girl had a notebook and quill out, watching the Gryffindor with intensity. "Quinn. What does the potion do?" Santana whispered to her friend, beginning to become slightly worried for Rachel. Despite their fight in New York, Rachel was still Santana's friend.

But the blonde waved her away, without ripping her eyes away from the girl in front of them. Santana turned to finally see Rachel's skin bubble as though she'd drank a Polyjuice potion. The diva looked around warily, and the small cirlce that formed around them took an immediate step back. Santana stood her ground though, and hesitantly reached a hand forward. "Rachel?"

As the name left her mouth, Rachel began to transform in front of them. Quinn began to furiously write in her notes, and didn't stop even when Rachel had finished. Santana could only gawk as she ran her eyes over Rachel's new form. The girl stood, eyes on her hands, resembling a creature Santana had teased Rachel of being on more than one occasion during their time together in New York. Everyone held their breath in anticipation.

As expected, it was Santana who broke the silence. She couldn't help the insult that came out of her mouth, and wished more than anything to be able to take it back, especially after she saw the repercussions of what they'd done. "Well, now you can't say the names are inaccurate, Kobold." Her dark eyes widened and she almost clamped a hand over her mouth when she saw Rachel, in Kobold form, turn to look at her with hurt swimming in brown eyes. The small crowd erupted in laughter, and if that wasn't enough, Quinn had dipped in her own insult, which naturally made the crowd roar louder.

And then it all got worse.

"What did you do?"

Santana froze, knowing full well who owned that voice. Her lips parted ever so slightly as she felt something sickening flop around the pit of her stomach when she saw Dani, clad in yellow and black, rush to Rachel's side. And when those fiery brown eyes turned to look at her with so much hate, Santana felt her heart break.

"What did you do, you slime?" Dani spat out, cradling her crying friend in her arms.

Santana was frozen, unable to say a word in her defence. So Quinn spoke up for her. "Shut your trap, mudblood. If anyone here is a slime, it would be you." Santana wanted to slap Quinn right then and there, but she was still frozen, barely able to hold her tears at bay.

Dani sneered at the comment. "Right, because one's birth status is what determines everything." She cursed under her breath and led Rachel away from the still amused crowd, leaving with only a disappointed and tired glare in Santana's direction.

The crowd quickly dispersed, patting the girls in the back for a job well done. Quinn turned to grin at the Slytherin, but found that the brunette was already gone. She shrugged, and headed to te Ravenclaw common room. She had to share the news of the potion's success with the others.

**xxx**

It was safe to say that Santana had been distracted for the rest of the day. She found out quickly enough that she had a notorious reputation around, something not unlike her popularity in McKinley minus the sleeping around part. Apparently, she was openly gay in Hogwarts, and not only was she accepted, she also had quite a few admirers. She found out from Puck that she had dated Quinn their third year, but decided not to continue pursuing it. They would have destroyed the school if they did.

She was acing her classes, all except Divination. She never really had an affinity for being calm and cool. She didn't do Quidditch, which threw her a bit off guard. She had thought she would be part of the game in this little fantasy.

So she found herself sitting by her lonesome on the courtyard, the sun setting quickly in front of her. Harmony had just left after a congratulatory talk for the stunt she and Quinn had pulled earlier. Santana had also learned that she and Harmony shared the bed for more than a handful of times.  _Ew._

"What's wrong?" she heard a voice question behind her. The voice was cold and harsh, and didn't hold even the tiniest bit of concern. "Run out of ways to ruin someone else's life?" Santana turned and parted her lips to form a response, an apology, but before she was able to, Dani had already made her way in front of her, the tip of her wand at the brunette's throat. "Of course not," the blonde harshly whispered. "You're Santana Lopez. Ruining other people's lives is the only reason for your pathetic existence."

Santana gulped, both in fear and at the sudden close proximity between them. Her hand inched discreetly under her robe, searching for her wand. Dani seemed to have noticed this as a devilish smirk made its way to her lips and she held up the missing wand. She made a show of examining the wood. When Santana moved to reach for it, Dani simply pressed her wand against the girl's throat harder.

"Not so powerful now, are you?" Dani taunted. "Tell me, why shouldn't I just break your wand in half?"

Unadulterated hate swirled in chocolate brown eyes. How in the world was she supposed to make Dani fall in love with her? She shook her head out of her stupor. She had a mission to do, a quest to finish. She wasn't going to let Dani's anger consume her. "You won't, because you're not like that."

Dani scoffed then. "You have no idea who I am, Lopez. All you see is a mudblood wearing the colours of your ex-girlfriend's rival house." Brown eyes softened ever so slightly, and if Santana didn't know the blonde as well as she did, she wouldn't have noticed it. But she did, and it changed everything. "You have no idea who I am," Dani repeated as she pulled back, wand still pointed at Santana, "or the things that I can do."

Santana saw it. She saw the façade. She saw the mask, and she knew Dani well enoguh to be able to see past it. There was anger, yes, but that didn't make up for all of the emotions stirring in the girl's heart. There was hurt. There was disappointment. Santana wanted to fix it. She needed to fix it.

She grabbed the blonde's hand and pulled her close, so close that their noses were a breath's length away. "You're wrong," she whispered into the still night. "I do know you." The affronted look was all she needed to see before she made the final tug and pulled the girl closer, claiming the supple lips into her own. For a moment, it felt as though the whole curse thing with Aphrodite never happened. It felt as though they were back home, back in their apartment, kissing languidly in the mid-Sunday sun.

And then that moment ended.

Dani's brain caught up to her actions and she pulled back, eyes wide and lips parted. Her cheeks were flushed, just like they would always be after their little make-out sessions back home, and she gulped in the oxygen she was deprived of moments prior. Santana felt the heart thumping erratically in her chest shatter the moment Dani averted her gaze.

"I know you, Danielle Harper," Santana said, still a bit out of breath. "No matter what you might think, I know you."

A shaky hand rose up to harshly wipe away at Dani's mouth. The sight of it caused Santana to falter, but she steeled her resolve. "You're insane," Dani spat out. She threw Santana's wand to the ground and glared at the offending object as though it was the sole reason for all that transpired. She shot Santana a dirty look before turning, leaving Santana staring helplessly at her retreating back.

"Ugh," Santana growled out in exasperation once Dani was out of sight. She ran a hand through her frenzied hair, her breath coming out in shallow strokes. "You having fun, Aphrodite?" When she received nothing but silence, Santana grabbed her wand and made her way to the Slytherin common rooms.

Unknown to her, electric blue eyes watched the scene from the shadows.

**xxx**

"What's up with her?" Puck whispered to Harmony, who was sat on a couch opposite a rather quiet Santana.

The brunette shrugged, not once looking up from the papers in her hand. They were sheet music to a song Puck didn't recognize, but Harmony already knew by heart.

"Come on, Harm," Puck urged. He attempted to swipe away the papers from Harmony's hands, but ultimately failed when Harmony placed them neatly on the nearby table. Smiling, Puck tugged at Harmony's sleeves and pointed at Santana. "You know her the best. Something's wrong, right?"

A small, wicked smile graced Harmony's lips. That was right. She knew Santana best. She eyed said girl, noticing not for the first time how she seemed to be lost in thought. "Why do you even care?" she tossed at Puck, arching a perfect brow at him. "She's not going to be jumping in bed with you if you start acting like you care."

He smirked. "Right. Because that worked so well for you." At Harmony's deadly glare, he raised his hands in defence. Sometimes, he feared that Harmony's glare had the power of the killing curse behind them. "She's my bro. You gotta care about your bros."

Harmony made a face, but decided not to humour him further. Instead, she stood, gathered her things, and walked over to Santana. "Look, this sad sap thing isn't working for you." She didn't give Santana time to reply before she grabbed the Latina's arm and dragged her up to the dormitories. Once there, a glare drove the other girls back to the common room, leaving the two brunettes.

"What do you want?" Santana grumbled as she broke her arm free of Harmony's grip. She shot the girl a dirty look before plopping down on her bed unceremoniously.

Harmony rolled her eyes. "I want you to stop moping around," she answered, her arms crossing over her chest.

"I am not moping!"

"Please. All this," Harmony gestured towards Santana, her tongue clicking as she did so. "Just because some Hufflepuff broke your heart?"

At that, Santana found her eyes doubling in size before narrowing down into almost slits. Her gaze stayed on Harmony as the girl circled around her, reminiscent to how a lioness might stalk its prey. But Santana was no feeble antelope. And she knew Harmony wasn't one to simply go in for the kill. "What do you want?" Santana ground out the words through clenched teeth, her fists clenching until her knuckles turned white.

And Harmony smiled – a smile that was positively devilish and maleficent that Santana couldn't help the cold finger of fear to run down her spine. "I want you," came the sickly sweet reply. Harmony's lips curled upward, teeth glinting and reflecting the light from the few torches around them. She sauntered towards Santana, hooded eyes piercing Santana and chaining her to the bed. Harmony's eyes suddenly lit up as she watched the Latina, and her grin grew. "You're still a coward."

Santana's mouth opened to offer her rebuttal but Harmony's finger met her lips, ordering her to be silent. "Santana, we both know how this is going to go down," Harmony crooned. The distance between them became nonexistent; Harmony's knees planted themselves on either side of Santana. "Just like how it was when we were fourth years." A perfectly manicured finger traced Santana's jaw. "I never did understand what you found in that mudblood, but we'll get her out of her system, just like we did before."

Dark eyes narrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

A low chuckle echoed in the room. "Don't feign ignorance, Santana. It doesn't suit you." Harmony's hand moved to cup Santana's cheek and her lips grew ever closer.

And that was when the images assaulted Santana's mind.

_Hogwarts during their fourth year offered a fresh beginning for Santana after her break up with Quinn. Her eyes wandered around, searching for someone to fill the hole in her heart when beautiful brown eyes met hers across the room._

_Secretly meeting in the many enchanted rooms that offered them solace around the magical school. Musical laughter echoing in enclosed spaces, and Santana's heart beating like a drum against her chest._

_A chaste kiss, and a soft smile. Shy and coy glances offered through the veil of blonde dyed hair._

_Electric blue eyes pinning her against the wall, canines sharply glinting from her trademark smirk. Words like poisoned daggers dipped in honey. "I want you. And if we don't come to terms, a certain mudblood might not wake up tomorrow."_

_A tanned hand shaking as it held a wand in front of her. A bright smile greeting her from across the courtyard. Thoughts whizzing past her brain like the latest and fastest broom available to man._ I can't do this. I can't do this.

_Laughter erupting all around her. Brown eyes filled with nothing but hurt and disappointment glaring at her through corn-syrup and shaved ice. Words that tasted rose up from her like bile. "You actually thought I liked you? Filthy mudblood."_

"No!" Santana half-shouted as she pushed Harmony away, wand pinning Harmony to the ground. "You're sick, you know that?"

Rage swam in that blue sea. "You're actually going to do this?" Harmony's voice was full of surprise and anger, and Santana knew that nothing good would come out of it. "For what? For that mudblood? She hates you!"

"Because of what you made me do!"

Harmony pulled herself up then, matching Santana's stance with her own. "Please," she sneered, looking at Santana as if she were the scum of the earth. "You were destroying her even before I came to you. You hid her. You were ashamed to even be seen in public with her." A hard shove sent Santana back down on the bed. "Don't start acting like you actually care for her."

Harmony released a heavy puff of air. "You're a coward, Santana Lopez." She shrugged before offering a hand towards Santana. "And I'm okay with that. It works well in my favour. It also works for you. This is our last year here. Don't ruin it for a Hufflepuff that you could never even stand up for."

"No," came Santana's reply. Her eyes were filled with a defiant fire. "You don't get to ruin my life for another year, Harmony. Dani Harper is under my protection." In one swift movement, Santana had Harmony pinned against the wall, hand moving beneath the girl's robe to grab her wand. Without any warning, she snapped it in half. "Harm her in any way and I will destroy you."

She released the girl and turned her back, intent on finding a way to calm her frizzed nerves. She made her way out to the common room, ignoring Harmony's words following after her.

"You'll never get her back."

**xxx**

Santana woke up with a head-splitting headache. Day one had finished. She had six more days to make Dani fall in love with her, and considering their history, Santana knew it would be tough. Plus, she still had Harmony hovering over her shoulder. Sure, she'd won their threatening match the night prior, but somehow she knew the girl wouldn't back down that easily.

"Are you even listening?"

Santana blinked her way back to the present, acquainting herself with her surroundings – the library – before they settled on hazel. "Yeah, sure."

Quinn stared back, unimpressed. "Is this about Dani again?" she asked, voice aloof and uninterested as she continued to write away furiously. When Santana refused to answer, she sighed and stopped writing. "She hates your guts."

"Real helpful, Quinn," Santana muttered, laying her head on her arms over the table. "Exactly what I needed."

Quinn just rolled her eyes. "You were the one who broke what you two had. I don't know what you're planning to do now, but I can see it'll be boring."

"I don't even have any idea what I want to do yet and it's already boring?"

Oh for the love of Merlin. "Santana," came Quinn's stern voice. It attracted the attention of a few other students near their table who looked over, preparing to berate the loud teenagers, but cowered at the sight of hazel eyes glaring daggers at them. "I'm not stupid–"

"If you were, you wouldn't be a Ravenclaw."

"–and I know that what you want to do is get her back," Quinn continued, ignoring Santana's mumbled comment. "It's not going to be easy."

"Harmony put a target in her back," Santana pointed out. "Of course it won't be easy."

"Wait. Harmony's sticking her nose into this again?" Quinn asked, before her eyes narrowed as she gave the Latina a once over. "What did you do?"

At this, Santana had the decency to look ashamed. "I kissed Dani."

"Of all the idiotic—Santana!" Quinn ran a hand across her face, a long and exasperated sigh escaping her lips. "Why in Merlin's name would you do that?"

"What? It seemed like a good idea at the moment."

"Yeah, if the girl didn't hate you because you broke her heart into a million pieces and stabbed her in the back with each and every one of them." Hazel eyes rolled before they caught Santana's. "Look, if this is how you're going about to get the girl, then I really wonder how we ever got together."

Santana scoffed, but a light smile played at the corners of her lips. "Please, I have a rocking bod."

"You do," Quinn allowed, her eyes roaming down the parts of Santana's body that she could see. "But you're gonna need more than that if you want to get the Hufflepuff back."

"I can't believe you're helping me."

"We have a history together. Besides, I think of it as research."

**xxx**

Santana nodded to herself and sent the Howler on its way, hiding behind a corner as the red envelope flew towards the Hufflepuff and the (now back to normal) Gryffindor. Santana allowed herself one last peek before she hid herself fully, her ears straining to catch the things said between the two friends.

"What's this? A howler?" she heard Rachel say and despite herself, Santana found that her heart began to thump a little bit faster.

"You expecting some–" Dani's words were cut off as the Howler delivered its message, and Santana felt herself flush.

"DANI HARPER WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME FOR LUNCH?"

With a final nod and a deep breath, Santana revealed herself, a couple of handpicked roses in her grasp. "Please say yes," she said, a lopsided smile painting itself on her lips, as she approached the duo.

There was a pink tint coating Dani's cheeks but her eyes were hardened as they regarded Santana. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"For once, it's not." Santana gulped, handing the roses over to Dani's awaiting hand. She had to bite back a smile at that, her mind wandering back to a conversation they had when they were still getting to know each other ( _"Never turn your back on a gift. No matter who it's from. That's just a matter of principle." "What if it's a trick?" "Then I'd relish in the fact that they went through all that trouble for me."_ ) "Look," Santana continued. "Prof. Sprout gave me a week of detention for sneaking in and stealing those flowers. It's just one lunch."

"What? So you could set me up for another one of your cruel and convoluted pranks?" Dani's voice dripped with that same heartbreaking poison. "Because I am done. We're not your playthings, Santana. Despite what you may think, we're people and we have feelings too. I can't say the same for you."

Santana sighed, mentally cursing Aphrodite for the twisted past she created for them. But she couldn't deny the voice in her head that told her that if they were in this position before, in high school when reputation and popularity were all that mattered, she would have done the same thing. She would have turned on back on Dani, no matter what she felt. "I'm sorry."

It was Rachel that spoke then. "Did  _the_ Santana Lopez just apologize?"

"Yes, I did." It was scathing and harsh and everything Santana didn't need at the moment. She turned her attention to Dani who still had her arms crossed over her stomach, and Santana knew all too well what that meant. Dani still had her walls up and Santana wasn't doing a very good job of scaling them. "I know you can't forgive me just yet. I did something fucked up. I fucked up. I let Harmony get to me and–"

"What does your ex-girlfriend have to do with any of this?"

At that, Santana found her eyes wandering around. "It's not exactly something that I can say here."

"No. If you want me to go to that lunch with you, you will tell me now." There it was again, that glimmer of hope. That glint of recognition behind the titanium walls.

"She said she would hurt you. I know that doesn't excuse my actions, and I should have fought for you, but I was scared," Santana admitted with a sigh, a frazzled hand running its course through her dark locks. She really didn't want to have this conversation with Rachel listening in, but the steady gaze Dani threw at her meant she had no other choice. "I'm a coward, that's why I never stood a chance of entering Gryffindor, but I'm here now. I want to make things right, because no matter what stupid shit I may have said in the past, I still care for you, Danielle Harper."

A beat passed and then, "That's a really moving speech, Santana." Santana had expected that – the sarcasm and the scoff – but what she hadn't expected was for Rachel to nudge Dani and look at Santana pointedly. Santana couldn't fight back her grin then. She really needed to start being nicer to Rachel again. They were friends, after all.

She made a mental note that once all this was said and done, she would make sure that Rachel knew that.  _See, Aphrodite? I can be nice._

"Fine," Dani acquiesced. "One lunch. If this turns out to be another of your idiotic pranks–"

"It's not. I promise."

**xxx**

Fucking Harmony.

Santana groaned aloud at the sight of the brunette approaching, and Dani must have sensed her discomfort as she looked over her shoulder and grimaced. "Santana," was muttered in a low, warning growl.

"I swear, I have no idea what she's doing here."

Dani didn't seem to believe her one bit, but didn't have a chance to voice out her anger as Harmony had reached her destination, palm planted on the table between the two. Her other hand snaked towards Santana's shoulder, a touch that the Latina cringed from.

This didn't go unnoticed by the diva.

"Santana," she greeted, sickly sweet smile in place. It dropped the moment she looked over at the blonde, her lips curling down to take the form of a sneer. "Mudblood."

Dani didn't offer a word of greeting.

"I'm surprised the troll isn't chasing your tail as she usually does," Harmony commented with an arch of her brow, making a show of looking around as though she expected to see Rachel pop up out of nowhere. When it became apparent that Rachel really was nowhere near them, she smirked. "Please tell me she's finally realized her ineptitude and  _complete_ lack of talent, and has finally decided to spare us by getting herself kidnapped by the centaurs."

"Harmony," Santana growled out, wondering what convoluted alternate universe made it so that she and Harmony were friends. She didn't even remember saying two words to the girl back then.

"Yes, darling?" Santana's face crumpled in disgust at the term of endearment. "What are you even doing with this filth? I missed you." Harmony turned to shoot Dani a haughty glare. "And you? What are you still doing here? Can't you see that you're not wanted?"

That did it. With a low growl, Dani stood, wand at the ready. "I am sick of your games." Whether she meant Santana or Harmony, the Latina wasn't sure. Maybe it was the both of them, if the way her wand alternated between the two was any indication.

Harmony was quick to draw her own wand out, an air of confidence taking over her as she stared Dani down. "I've seen you with that wand, Harper. Everyone here knows that I'm leagues better than you." She motioned towards the growing crowd around them, grinning widely as some voiced out their agreement. No one was faster and more brutal than Harmony Pearce when it came to duelling.

She felt another wand pointed at her, and Harmony frowned when she saw Santana stand from her peripheral. "You don't want to do this, Santana."

Santana's eyes didn't leave Harmony. "I told you. Harm her in any way, and I will  _destroy_  you."

Santana missed the way Dani's eyes widened slightly, or the way the crowd erupted in murmurs. She didn't miss how Harmony's jaw flexed though, and she prayed that her knowledge on spells was still spot on. "Destroy me?" Harmony challenged. "You don't have the guts to do that, Lopez. You need me, and this little infatuation with this mudblood will end."

"I fucking love her, you sadistic bitch!"

That only served to fuel Harmony's anger as she didn't miss a beat, her wand making a gesture Santana's seen before. "Avada–"

"Shit," she muttered under her breath, suddenly coming up blank when it came to spells she could use. "Fuck it." With that, she tackled Harmony to the ground, her spell falling short just inches before it reached the petrified Dani.

Thankfully, the teachers had finally arrived, and one of them had seen what Harmony attempted to do. Panting as the adrenaline slowly eased out of her system, Santana only watched as Harmony was taken away.

"Did you mean it?"

Santana's brow arched in confusion as she looked over at the still frazzled blonde. Dani had shaken away a concerned teacher in favour of approaching Santana, her stony façade cracking with every step she took.

"Did you mean it? When you said that you…" She couldn't continue, shaking her head as if attempting to deny that the words had been uttered in the first place.

Understanding, Santana nodded. "I did. I do."

Still shaking her head, Dani growled out, "No, you don't. You don't get to do that! You don't get to come back and make me feel everything again after everything you've done to me."

"I'm sorry–"

"No," Dani half-screamed. "I was so in love with you, but then you tossed me aside like trash. You made me feel like I was nothing, Santana. I get that you were scared, but I was scared too! Even after all this time, I still smell lavender whenever I'm near an Amortentia."

Lavender. Santana felt a flush take over her cheeks. That was her favourite perfume, and if what she knew about the wizarding world was right, then that meant…

"I'm still in love with you," Dani whispered her confession, but the entire courtyard heard her as if she'd shouted it. The silence still hung between them, only broken when Dani shook her head once again. "But you can't just do this."

Santana was quick to stand up and take Dani's hands in her own. "Let me make this right? Let me make it up to you? I'm in love with you too, and I'm never going to let anything fuck that up anymore. Not anymore."

When she coaxed Dani into her arms, she expected for the blonde to pull away. She hadn't expected for Dani to melt to her touch and tuck her head under Santana's chin, arms snaking around the Latina's waist. When Dani nodded into her neck, she was already thinking up ways to make her promise a reality, expecting that it would take her a long time to earn back Dani's trust.

She hadn't expected for the image before her to ripple out of existence and for an all white room to welcome her presence once more.

**xxx**

"What the fuck was that?" Santana growled out as soon as she caught sight of Aphrodite. "That was messed up. She almost died!"

Aphrodite raised her hands up in defence. "I didn't expect it to happen either. When I put you into a situation, I'm not in control of what the people do or don't do. It's their consciousness – their personalities – in there with you. If given that situation and that background, Harmony would have done that." Aphrodite's nose crinkled with that revelation.

"And what was with that, anyway? Why was Harmony here? Fuck, I don't even know the girl other than that she's possibly worse than Rachel, and now you've made her my ex?" Santana screeched. "And Quinn too?"

Rubbing her temples, Aphrodite settled down on a grand throne that appeared out of nowhere. "Don't make such a racket, Santana. Everything that happens in the Acts are circumstantial. You're still you there, just with different experiences so your decisions were different too. This Act was easy–"

"Easy? What about this was easy?" Santana demanded, her arms flailing around in anger. It seemed as though every interaction she had with the goddess was filled with just that – anger.

"You had a past. You had history, and she was still somewhat in love with you." Aphrodite paused, before a smirk floated to her lips. "Next time, you won't have that."

Santana didn't have a chance to retort as Aphrodite snapped her fingers, and Santana was sent to nothing but darkness.

**xxx**

**Afternotes:**

_I have seriously underestimated the length these Acts could go. I have a feeling this won't be the longest, which means, I'm thoroughly fucked. I won't be able to stick to the schedule, apparently, which isn't really a surprise. Plus, college is starting back up soon. Ugh. Anyway, thanks for that anon on Tumblr that helped me get through the funk I was on halfway through writing this. I'm pretty sure it won't be an isolated case and I'll be having some form of trouble in future chapters and will be asking for you help. If you want, you can check out my Tumblr (the personal one since I'm shutting down the fanfiction side blog; it's just easier to manage that way) and keep an eye out if I post a part of a chapter I need help on. Pretty fuck ass long afternote, but whatevs. Take care, darlings._


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